BIGGEST CATCH. Fishermen in the Municipality of Tibiao display the biggest caught swordfish recorded in Antique on Dec. 3, 2015. Flord Calawag, Antique Fishing Festival (AFF) director and founder, said Friday (April 8, 2022) they are holding the first fishing tournament this month to promote Antique as the sports fishing destination in the country. (Photo courtesy of AFF)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The province of Antique is out to hook the tag of being the country's sports fishing destination to further highlight its natural resources and boost tourism.
Antique Fishing Festival (AFF) director and founder, Flord Nicson Calawag, in an interview on Friday, said the province, particularly the towns of Tibiao, Culasi, and Barbaza, boasts of rich fishing grounds and can be a destination for those into game fishing.
“If Siargao island in Surigao del Norte is known as the surfing capital, we envision Antique to be the sports fishing destination of the Philippines,” Calawag said.
Antique, which is shaped like a seahorse, is composed of 18 municipalities; 15 are along the coastline and is considered a tuna highway because of its rich marine biodiversity.
The province has marine protected areas (MPAS) serving as a breeding ground for fishes, bringing abundant catch to the fisherfolks.
The biggest catch was a swordfish that weighed 215 kilograms in the Municipality Tibiao on December 3, 2015, Calawag said.
“As of now, there are already around 33 marine protected areas from the southernmost coastal town of Anini-y to the northern town of Libertad and the island municipality of Caluya that had been established,” he said.
A three-day sports fishing tournament, set from April 23-25 this year, is one of the activities be held to promote the province as a fishing destination.
The tournament will have two categories - professional anglers and traditional fishing.
Professional anglers may use trolling, jigging, and bottom fishing while the traditional fishing participants are allowed to use lures, live and fresh bait, and catch the fish through a hook in the mouth.
The single heaviest catch per category will be declared the winner. Prizes for professional anglers will be PHP50,000 for first place, PHP30,000 for second place, and PHP20,000 for third place.
For traditional fishing, prizes will be PHP10,000 for first place, PHP8,000 for second place, and PHP5,000 for third place.
“We have now around 30 participants including two foreigners who had already registered for the festival,” Calawag said.
He added registration for those willing to take part is until April 15. (PNA)
